Historic 1892 Balaclava railway station destroyed by blaze
/ Our Today
administratorCause of fire inconclusive
The historic Balaclava railway station in St Elizabeth, which dates back to 1892, was destroyed by fire yesterday morning.
The damage is estimated to be in excess of $30 million while several persons, who use the building to do woodwork and vehicle repair have lost millions of dollars’ worth of equipment. The Balaclava railway station is a Jamaican-Georgian two-storey building constructed of timber throughout.
Around 2 o’clock fire was seen in a section of the 129-year-old building. Two units from the Santa Cruz fire station responded to the fire but when they arrived the building was already engulfed in flames.
Preliminary investigations found the cause of the fire inconclusive. However, residents strongly theorise that arsonists are at fault.
The Balaclava railway station opened in 1892 and closed in 1992. It served the small town of Balaclava on the Kingston to Montego Bay line and was 70.5 miles from the Kingston terminus.
The train station was built of timber in the Jamaican-Georgian architectural style. The upper floor has a gable end roof with an adjoining hip roof that has a downward fishtail fretwork on its eaves.
The façade consists of sash windows and a recessed panel timber doors.
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